Make a New Yearâ€™s Resolution to STOP BULLYING

December 29, 2011

With the New Year just around the corner and resolutions being made, I wanted to urge you to make one that is worthwhile this year. Instead of the typical resolutions (like to loose weight or to stop smoking or drinking, not that those are not important but they usually donâ€™t last past January), I would like you to think about making the resolution to help stop bullying.

For those of you whoâ€™s reaction to this was, â€śWell that is just part of being a kidâ€ť or â€śKids just need to toughen up because there have and always will be bullies and there is nothing we can do about it,â€ť please continue to read and hopefully you will realize there are things we can do and bullying isnâ€™t a joke or something to just shrug off.

Bullying takes place everywhere! It doesnâ€™t matter what size town or city you live in, what community, what culture or what part of the world, bullying is still a massive problem. You or your children have more than likely been involved in bullying, as most of us have, either as the victim, a bystander or even the bully.

Bullying has many forms and with the growth in technology it has actually gotten worse! Now not only can bullying happen face-to-face, with rumors and socially, but it is now happenings by text messages and on the internet. For those of you who are saying to yourselves â€śWell we donâ€™t have a problem with it in Antlers (Rattan, Clayton, Moyers and so on),â€ť yes we do! You just need to open your eye and you will see that bullying is very much a part of our community and impacts our children, and some adults, on a daily basis.

Bullying is not limited by age, gender, race or education level. It is not a phase and it is certainly not a joke. Bullying can cause lasting harm and in extreme cases, the life of someone who thinks no one cares and feels that they are nothing more than a joke. Throughout the month of January I will be writing about bullying and the affects it can have and will also be covering how to spot it and how to stop it!

If everyone decides to take a stand together against bullying, we can make our communities, schools and nation a bully free place to live. If you see a child being bullied, or another adult for that matter, speak up! Even if you donâ€™t think it is your place, it is! We are all responsible for allowing bullying to take place and together we can stop it!

If you would like to know more about how to stop bullying please visit www.stopbullyingnow.com, stopbullying.gov, kidpower.org or talk to you guidance councilor, friend or family members!